How Modesto’s location makes it a great place to spend time, base day trips
“There’s nothing to do in Modesto.”
Today, those are close to fightin’ words.
Once, however, there was a time when a reply to that statement might have been, “That may be, but we’re close to San Francisco, Napa, Yosemite, Big Trees, gold country, Sacramento, the ocean.”
Yes, location matters a lot to Modesto — so much that it’s the February theme of the Modesto150 sesquicentennial celebration.
For the city to maximize tourism dollars, though, location alone is not enough. It’s incumbent upon government, industry and business leaders to tout Modesto as a wonderful place to spend some time, said Todd Aaronson, CEO of the Modesto Convention & Visitors Bureau. It’s up to residents, as well, to spread the word among family and friends.
We are at the heart of a trip between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park, he noted. “Same for a north-south trip, like from Seattle to San Diego. Somewhere between Sacramento and Bakersfield, drivers have to stop to eat, sleep, gas up.” Modestans have to communicate that this is an inexpensive, entertaining place, with a wealth of great dining spots, a strong music scene, art galleries, even “the only Apple store between Sacramento and Fresno,” Aaronson said.
Yosemite National Park Trips, at www.myyosemitepark.com, in early December did a piece on Modesto that praised its diversity of restaurants, its quality farm stands, the Gallo Center for the Arts and the Modesto Marathon as a qualifier for the Boston and New York City races. The article also points out that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas based his breakout “American Graffiti” on his teen years cruising the streets of Modesto.
Aaronson offered car culture as a subject of great interest from outside Modesto. Last year, the Convention & Visitors Bureau received about 1,000 emails from people who were coming into town for June’s American Graffiti Festival and Classic Car Parade, he said. So the bureau used that contact as an opportunity to let the car lovers know about events throughout the year, and added a Car Culture page to its website.
The page notes that there are “at least two car shows each month around town,” and that cars are prominent in our big parades: “Imagine Santa in a cherry red 1963 convertible Corvette!”
With 300 or more days of “fantastic” weather annually, Modesto’s location makes it and surrounding areas an attractive destination in any season, Aaronson said. In November, it’s captivating to watch spawning salmon swim upriver. For a few weeks typically around late February, little can match the beauty of the almond orchards in bloom.
River and reservoir recreation alone can fill leisure time nearly year-round, he said, whether it’s fly-fishing the Tuolumne in La Grange, kayaking in Modesto, jet-skiing and boating, using the archery range at Modesto Reservoir Regional Park, and more.
The Tuolumne River and Dry Creek trails systems regularly are maintained and improved by volunteer groups and provide a scenic setting for walking, birdwatching and mountain biking.
The work done on the trails has led to the annual California Trails and Greenways Conference choosing Modesto as its host city this April. The conference’s online page says it brings “education and networking opportunities for urban, rural and backcountry trail professionals. Join leading trail experts for training and discussions on the latest advances in trail design, construction, maintenance, interpretation, volunteerism and management.”
The website of Visit California includes a summary of a report by Dean Runyan Associates on the economic impact of travel in California from 2010-18. It shows that in 2018, travel-related hospitality and leisure in Stanislaus County employed 6,400 people. Travel-related spending in the county that year was $619.5 million, in categories including accommodations, food service, transportation and gas, arts and entertainment, retail and food stores.
Location matters to Modesto’s economy far beyond tourism, of course. Its proximity to Sacramento, the Port of Stockton and the San Francisco Bay area are crucial to getting agricultural products and other goods to market, said Jaylen French, director of community and economic development for the city.
The relative ease of commuting to the greater Bay Area and Sacramento also allow broader job opportunities for our work force, he said. And the nearness to those major markets entices businesses to set up here. Referring to the Bay Area, “what they don’t have that we do is land,” French said.
Added city spokesman Thomas Reeves, major transportation channels in and around Modesto have come a long way and continue to improve. On the Highway 132 rerouting project, he said, “It’s taken us a long time to get here, but we did,” adding that the work will greatly improve travel not just for commuters and residents but industry.
“Look at Entekra as a good example of a company that would not have located here if not for good access to the rest of the state,” he said. The company specializes in automated, off-site wood framing for home construction. “You’re talking about a guy who builds pieces of homes in a warehouse and has to ship them,” Reeves said. “He could not do that without good highway and rail systems.”
Reeves also noted that the expanding Altamont Corridor Express train system is “reshaping what it means to commute.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
